Young people say online slurs common — but not OK

Most teens and young adults on Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites see them at least sometimes: slurs, offensive images or mean-spirited video clips that stigmatize groups of people.

Who’s targeted most often? Overweight people, according to a poll of Internet users ages 14 to 24.

When does it seem most hurtful? When aimed at transgender people.

What about potshots at blacks or women? Young people mostly take those as jokes.

In the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV, young people take stock of the discriminatory words and images they see online.

Young people are more likely to view slurs or discriminatory images as mean-spirited rather than as a joke when they target transgender people, Muslims, gay, lesbian or bisexual people, those who are overweight and men who dress or carry themselves in a feminine way.

Racial insults are less likely to be considered intentionally hurtful. A majority of young people say racial groups are maligned mostly in a joking way.

A big majority — 7 in 10 — say demeaning comments, pictures and videos about women are mostly jokes, not meant to be hurtful. Women are about as likely to feel that way as men are.

The poll ranked four possible reasons why people text or share discriminatory language:

They’re trying to be funny.

They think it’s “cool” to use that language.

They don’t realize the language is offensive.

They really hold hateful feelings about the group.

Young people seem jaded to a lot of the offensive stuff they see on the social network sites and online gaming communities. Fewer than half, for example, say they are very offended by online use of the N-word for African-Americans.

But that doesn’t mean they think tweeting slurs or posting derogatory videos is all right.

A majority say it’s never OK to use discriminatory language, even if you’re just kidding.